British Cartridge Manufactures, Loaders And Retailers - C W Harding

A reference book written for collectors, this book contains historical information which in many instances would be lost forever unless documented. Many of the former companies who once produced these collector's items no longer exist and, as a result, their related histories have been lost. As the demand for old cartridge specimens has grown, so has their value, and numerous specimens are now over one hundred years old.

The aim of this book, which is the third and last of a series of three, is to record data on former cartridge manufacturers and loaders – of which only a handful remain. Put together, the three books, including Eley Cartridges (ISBN 978 1904057 918) and The Birmingham Cartridge Manufacturers and Loaders (ISBN 978 1846890 642), having also afforded several Forensic Ballistic laboratories a source of data on this subject which had never been previously available to them, also offer the collector a reference source mainly on former ammunition manufacturers and their products.

THE AUTHOR

Following retirement from the West Midlands Police Force in 1993, Bill Harding has been working as a freelance Arms Historian and Firearms Consultant. In recent years he has been working for the British Proof Authority on the revision of the Proof Act and research into black powder proof loads for the governing body for proof in Europe (CIP) – The Commission International Permanent. During this time working for the Birmingham Proof House, he established an ammunition reference museum. 

Reviews:
'Brilliantly illustrated... This book will be the perfect gift for cartridge collectors.'  Sporting Shooter

'The production quality is first rate. The colour pictures are vibrant, and the diagrams, plans and engravings are crystal clear. This is one of the best gun-related books I have ever read. It is a great achievement to write three such detailed histories in just six years. Bill deserves our compliments and thanks for making such a comprehensive record of our heritage.' Shooting Times

'The history of shotgun cartridges is a long and complex one as every collector knows only too well. Much is lost in the mists of time and will never be retrieved. A definitive and complete work on the subject is a virtual impossibility, but C W Harding has come as close to that as any researcher is likely to get... It is indeed, like his former works, a reference book which every collector will want to possess... a truly magnificent book.'  Countryman's Weekly

'As well as commercial and technical information, the book is filled with the personal details and photographs of notable people in the trade.  This brings human interest to what might otherwise be a dry subject.  This is complemented by original adverts and pictures of the factories where the cartridges were loaded.'  Classic Arms and Militaria

'The book is joy for the collector, a reference for those who study cartridges and a source of information for the scientist.  An incredible effort on behalf of the author who, I hope, will continue to educate us long into the future.'